Archive for the 'Ed Robertson' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

January 15th, 2011, 12:04 pm by GEORGE A. PAUL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Friday afternoon's festivities in the Taylor Guitars suite at the NAMM Show got off to a rousing start thanks to the Airborne Toxic Event. The L.A.-based rock band turned in a mostly acoustic, 20-minute set that showed it can often be just as stirring -- and switch instruments with similar dexterity -- as Arcade Fire in a live setting.

Although lead singer/guitarist Mikel Jollett looked as if he hadn't been awake very long, he still delivered some intense vocals on the freewheeling “Missy.” As is custom during the quintet's concerts, the song segued into a feisty take on Bruce Springsteen's “I'm on Fire” (Jollett even nailed the Boss' falsetto howls) and Johnny Cash's “Folsom Prison Blues” (Noah Harmon's stand-up bass work really drove the rhythm) before circling back to the original melody. Modern rock radio hit “Sometime Around Midnight,” propelled by Anna Bulbrook's graceful violin strains, had a dramatic uplift and sounded wonderful.

Across the hall in the dimly lit Pioneer Electronics room, Chicago house music DJ (and current San Clemente resident) Kaskade spun tunes -- including a remix of Nomad's “(I Wanna Give You) Devotion” -- as various people tried out the newest mixers and decks.